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How to choose the right lamp body material?

June 24, 2025

In the design of lighting products, the lamp body material is directly related to the durability, heat dissipation performance, appearance texture and manufacturing cost of the lamp. At present, the common lamp body materials on the market include ABS plastic, aluminum alloy and PC plastic. These three materials have their own advantages and disadvantages in practical applications, and the applicable scenarios are also different. The following will analyze their performance differences from a multi-dimensional perspective to help manufacturers and users make more appropriate choices.

For lamp products that pursue cost-effectiveness, ABS plastic has become one of the mainstream materials because of its low cost and convenient processing. ABS has good impact resistance and moderate structural strength, and is widely used in portable lamps, headlamps, flashlights and other products. It has strong plasticity, is easy to be injection molded, can make complex shapes, and maintain light weight. However, ABS has poor heat dissipation performance and is prone to deformation when running at high temperature for a long time, so it is not suitable for high-power lamps. In addition, it is sensitive to ultraviolet rays and is prone to aging and yellowing if exposed to sunlight for a long time. This type of material is more suitable for small and medium-sized lamps that are used indoors or occasionally, and do not require high structural strength and thermal management.

In applications with higher requirements for heat dissipation and structural strength, aluminum alloy as a lamp body material shows excellent comprehensive performance. Aluminum alloy has excellent thermal conductivity, which can effectively export the heat generated by LED chips, helping to improve the life and stability of lamps. At the same time, it has high structural strength and is resistant to pressure and drop, suitable for harsh environments such as construction sites, workshops, and outdoor operations. Through surface treatments such as anodizing, aluminum alloy lamp bodies can also have excellent anti-corrosion and decorative effects. Although its material cost and processing cost are higher than plastic materials, in professional fields, aluminum alloy is undoubtedly a more worthy investment choice.

When it is necessary to take into account both light transmittance and impact resistance, PC plastic is an ideal material for parts such as lampshades. Polycarbonate has excellent optical properties and can achieve high light transmittance, so it is often used in LED lampshades, shields and other parts. In addition, PC has extremely strong impact resistance, and its toughness ranks among the best among plastic materials, and it performs well in ensuring user safety. However, the heat dissipation performance of PC materials is still insufficient, and it is not suitable for directly bearing LED heat sources. At the same time, the surface is easy to scratch, and attention should be paid to the subsequent anti-wear treatment. PC material is usually used as a transparent cover or in combination with ABS/aluminum alloy to achieve the unity of function and appearance.

Overall, the advantages and disadvantages of the material need to be weighed in combination with the application scenario. If lightness and cost are the top priorities, ABS is an acceptable choice; if strength and thermal management requirements are high, aluminum alloy has more advantages; and when the product requires good light transmittance and impact resistance, PC is more suitable. Many high-performance lamps even use a composite design of multiple materials, such as an aluminum alloy body plus a PC lampshade, or an ABS main shell plus an aluminum heat sink base, to achieve the optimal balance of performance.

Therefore, in the design and material selection process, understanding the physical properties and usage limitations of each material is the key to creating high-quality lighting products.